Index

Donald D. Karnes - Two Altars

Two altars of service before the believer stand: the one for a Holy and
useful life, an "offering made with hands," The other for prayer and
praise, for "time that is set apart," to bow at His feet in communion
sweet, "an offering of the heart." We need to witness for God and to
serve Him all our days, but no work of our hands can meet God's demand for a
life of "prayer and praise."

Whoever wrote those verses expressed a deep spiritual truth. In the Old
Testament, God's Picture Book, we see two altars clearly set forth: one for
"burnt offerings." It was outside the Tabernacle in the outer
courtyard. Animal sacrifices were burnt there every morning and evening.
"The fire was never to go out."

The other altar was placed inside the
Tabernacle in the Holy Place of the Sanctuary. There, incense was to be burnt
perpetually. No strange incense, burnt sacrifice, nor meat offerings were ever
to be placed on this golden altar. The purpose of each altar was distinct. They
could not be interchanged. This has an important truth to teach us today. Our
body is the Temple of the Holy Ghost; therefore these two altars should be in
every Christian's life.

First, the Altar of Service to God: outward acts,
testimony, and life presented unto God. No one would be worthy unless there was
this daily sacrifice, a life used in His service. Our outward duty is to render
service to our Lord, desiring to please our Master in our walk, work, and
actions. Our daily concern is seeking first the Kingdom of Heaven and His
righteousness. This Altar of Sacrifice is part and parcel of our spiritual
life. It is the means of presenting our bodies unto God as a living
sacrifice…which is our reasonable service.

However, this outward altar is not
enough. There is another altar that we need just as badly. It must not be
neglected, for it is the "altar of incense." It is hidden inside the
Tabernacle. It stands before the veil. It is our daily offering of "prayer
and praise" to God, our daily schedule of personal devotions. Service without
communion is never enough! One balances the other. They are sisters, the Martha
and Mary of our service and worship. Outward duties accomplished because of
inward inspiration which makes us "want to do it" and not "have
to do it." This inward prompting produces outward sacrifice and service.
Inward relationship makes for outward responsibilities! God waits for the
incense, for this "quiet time" alone with Him. God's way is more than
knowledge and good words; it is a personal relationship with Him. By failing to
converse with God, we deprive ourselves of a very vital privilege and deny Him
His rightful place in our lives.

Psalm 77:13, "Thy way, O God, is in the
Sanctuary." We may think God's way consists in proclaiming the Gospel
freely, preachers going two and two without a home, and the Church in a home.
This is definitely true, yet it is only the "outward expression of inward
direction!" Just as one might offer us a single grain, just the kernel,
and say, "This is corn!" We thought corn had a tall stock with tassel,
with a row of low leaves on each side that rise and curve gently down, having
an ear in the middle with cob, grains, silk, and husks! Right again! Yet this
whole plant is composed in miniature, found within the germ of a single seed.
The other is just the outward development of the "inward life." To
have the outward frills without the inward thrills is only husks!

Psalm 96:6, "Honour and majesty are before Him; strength and beauty are in His
Sanctuary." The Tabernacle was covered with ram and badger skins; outwardly,
it was not attractive. However, it was all glorious within! Most things were of
pure gold or covered with gold. Isaiah speaks of Jesus, "No form or
comeliness, no beauty to be desired." Yet we know the same Bible speaks of
Him as the "fairest of ten thousand" and also the "altogether
Lovely One!" The One, as the unregenerate eyes of the world see Him and
the other, as He is seen in the Sanctuary: the beauty of His holiness, of His
lowliness, of His sacrifice, and the beauty of being in time and in tune with
God. This power and pleasantness procured from dwelling in the "secret
place of the Most High" can't help but permeate our whole person and thus
be an honour to God.

Much like some people who work in a perfume factory:
wherever they went, they were known by the odour of sweet incense that
saturated their clothes, even their hair! The incense of this golden altar was
never to be imitated. The only place where this perfume was burnt was in the
Sanctuary. As we contact this "inner altar," there will be this
fragrance in our lives, an anointing that's detected. This is what makes hymns
speak. It makes prayers effective, makes testimonies real, and gives them a
ring! It makes preaching the voice of God! Without it, meetings become dull,
words are duds, and gatherings deteriorate to mere form - just going through
the motions. It's possible to be working hard at self improvement, for high
standards, trusting the record of our good works, righteous zeal, and religious
knowledge. All this can be like "strange incense" of
self-satisfaction: "Lord, see what I'm doing!" None of these can
repair the failure to "draw nigh to God." It is like trying to be our
own saviour instead of seeking God's guidance for our lives each day, His
direction for all we do and say. There is no substitute for a personal
relationship with God. Our hope depends on help sent from the Sanctuary.